Pours a pitch black from a bottle into a duvel glass. I can see my own reflection. About an inch of dark brown head which turns to a small ring around the top of the brew. leaves a light lacing throughout entire glass.

Tons of chocolate smell with a raisin oder at the end, creamy mouthful, with vanilla and chocolate opening. Ends with a caramel sweetness mixed with a light bitterness to level it out.

Overall an excellent American stout that I will look forward to every year.

A: Pours a very, dark brown - almost resembling the look of coffee. A big, light and frothy, tan-colored head rushes up quickly. Leaves a great lacing and settles into a thick frothy cappuccino-like cover.

S: Strong vanilla aroma. A little chocolate, but subtly hidden behind the sweetness of the malts and vanilla. Hints of mocha java. Some nuttiness.

T: Very sweet, but not strong chocolate character. Hints of cocoa, but more vanilla bean than anything. Roasted java. Caramel that comes off a little like a werther's butterscotch candy.

M: Medium body. Thinner than anticipated. Moderately high carbonation for the style. Very smooth and drinkable though.

O: Overall, not a bad beer. Disappointed a little by the body, but it's certainly drinkable. I could probably throw the whole six pack down in one sitting without a problem. The vanilla beans shined through more than anything. I would've liked more chocolate taste, but I'd buy again, now that I know what to expect.

Was lucky enough to be in the store when this new release arrived and quickly purchased a 6 pack. Just reading the description of this beer, made my mouth water. Sounded like a great dessert beer. When I got home, I poured this into a snifter. The pour showed a thinner body than expected with the color being somewhere between coca cola and black. A small amount of off-white head forming on top. The smell of vanilla and dark cocoa was nice but subdued. The flavor of this stout was very nice but mild. I definitely got the bittersweet chocolate up front finishing with nice vanilla notes. The beer finished relatively clean. The mouthfeel however, was much thinner then I expected.

Overall, in my opinion, this beer is good and worth a try. It does not have the depth of chocolate that a Youngs, Sam Smith or Rogue have. It would pair well with desserts and would be a nice beer to introduce to non-craft beer drinkers. Perhaps the delicious write up set expectations too high.